used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
achievedverbUS /əˈtʃiːvd/
past form of “achieve” — to gain with effort
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There is nothing so insignificant as a battle.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading There is nothing so insignificant as a battle.
battlesnounUS /ˈbætəlz/
plural of “battle” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
of short duration or distance
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
destiniesnounUS /ˈdestəniz/
plural of “destiny” — an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
remove the dust from
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
at any time
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
explodeverbUS /ɪkˈsploʊd/
cause to burst with a violent release of energy
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
fire-works
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
highest in quality
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
hookverbUS /hʊk/
fasten with a hook
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
insignificantadjectiveUS /ˌɪnsɪɡˈnjɪfɪkənt/
signifying nothing
From this reading There is nothing so insignificant as a battle.
inventionnounUS /ˌɪnˈvenʃən/
the creation of something in the mind
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
go away from a place
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
without good reason
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
not any; not one
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
go across or through
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
permanentlyadverbUS /ˈpɜːrmənəntli/
for a long time without essential change
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
any competition
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
siegesnounUS /ˈsiːdʒɪz/
plural of “siege” — the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There is nothing so insignificant as a battle.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
steam-engine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
succeedingadjectiveUS /səkˈsiːdɪŋ/
coming after or following
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is nothing so insignificant as a battle.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
tindernounUS /ˈtɪndər/
material for starting a fire
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
victoriesnounUS /ˈvɪktəriz/
plural of “victory” — a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
which person or people
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading This is no hook of battles and sieges, and, therefore, I will pass over lightly the events of the two succeeding days.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This is not a book of battles and sieges--those fire-works of history which explode with a brief space of brilliant light, and leave nothing but dust, and tinder, and darkness.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The man who gave an account of the three great battles of the world, and explained that he meant those which had permanently affected the destinies of the human race, probably named three too many.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading The invention of the steam-engine was worth a thousand of the greatest victories that ever were achieved.
